Ember
by Madagascar Queen
Summary: A girl named Ember moves to a new city, put a prophecy will bring her life of light into darkness. Based on Oedipus by Sophocles.


_**This tale is inspired by Sophocles tragedy, Oedipus, specifically this version with the vegetables on YouTube. Why, you ask? In The Lorax (2012), you know the blond-haired girl who wore the first thneed when he gave up selling it? Well, what if she's his long-lost sister? She has the same hair, nose, and eyes as his mom. With that thought, a bit of brainstorming, and ta-da! My take on the scandalous tragedy (being in a taboo mood. Not every taboo, though). NOW, FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T READ OEDIPUS, THE STORY DOES DEAL WITH INCEST, SUICIDE, AND SELF-MUTILATION SO HUGE TRIGGER WARNING!**_

* * *

One sunny day at dusk, a young woman, twenty-one of age, was driving in a red convertible on a highway, which was empty currently of day in the woods. The wind blew in her straight blond hair, with shades shielding her brown eyes, and she was sporting a pink business skirt suit. She was on her way to another city to start a new life. The drive was peaceful until a black Cadillac on the other side was speeding towards her and, with a screeching swerve and halt, blocked her path! With quick reflexes, the girl made a big stop, with her car swerving parallel to the Cadillac. Taking precaution, she opened her glove compartment, pulled out an M9, loaded it with bullets, and hid it in her pocket before the driver could step out.

Stepping out of the Cadillac was another woman. She was twenty-two, had the same eyes and hair, but her hair was permed with a bit of light bouncy curls, and was in a skimpy dark magenta dress. She indeed looked beautiful, but her demeanor was ugly, including the way she spoke to her.

"Who art thou that does not kneel before Isabella II, the princess of Thneedeville?" she demanded coldly.

She knew better than to keep silent, but she was on her toes with the hidden gun. "My name is Ember."

"Ember," the 'princess' repeated suddenly looking like she was sadly reminiscing. "I had a sister called Ember. Destined to kill her sister and wed her very brother." She looked down, looking forlorn. "But she was…."

"She was what?" Ember asked.

Her demeanor quickly changed back to cold as she looked up at her. "Killed."

"Killed?" Ember asked in a little stun.

"Killed," Isabella II repeated, then she lifted her dress and from her garter pulled a desert eagle. "As you shall be," she said darkly preparing to shoot. In a flash, Ember ducked down, with the bullet just barley hitting her hair!

Hearing her body rustling on the ground, Isabella II turned her gun at that direction, only to find that she wasn't there.

Suddenly, she felt a pump shoe hit her face, with the heel hitting under her eye, keeping her distracted! The other shoe hit the gun off her hand! She tried to grab it, but she felt herself being hustled, landing on her back! It was Ember! Isabella tried to grab her gun, but her arms were being held down strongly. She almost reached her gun. Seeing this, Ember banged her head on the ground. The third time made the princess fuzzy. Seizing the opportunity, Ember took her gun out of her pocket, and shot her clear in the head! Three bullets and she was dead, blood oozing in the back of her hair.

Catching her breath, she looked at the deep creek at the bottom of the cliff. An idea struck. She dragged the body, rolling it on the side and slid it off the cliff. It landed in the water. Seeing a big rock, she lifted it up, heavy, mind you, and dropped it, sinking the body down below. She got back in her car and continue her drive.

* * *

It was already dark when she arrived in a city called Thneedville. It wasn't that busy at night. She saw two women coming into a building and heard jazz music before the door closed. She decided to unwind after her rough day at the road. She knocked at the door and someone opened a tiny glass door at the top. It closed, and she was let in. As the door closed behind her, she could see three woman wearing sexy Egyptian queen attire on stage. Some of the audience were chatting and others were watching. She decided to take a seat at the bar stand and faced a bartender lady.

"Into what den of sin have I wandered?" she asked her.

Before she could get an answer, she turned when the music got louder, followed by ladies screaming. She didn't expect a good-looking man coming on the center stage. "By the gods," she said, captivated.

"Prithee, maiden stranger," smiled the bartender. "'Tis Once-ler, the prince of Thneedville, who takes center stage."

He was twenty-three. He was around six foot three, had short black hair slightly banged on his left side of his head, and sparkling blue eyes. He may be the tallest and skinniest man she'd ever seen, but something about him was so alluring. The girls around the end of the stages thought so, too, as they squealed as he was singing and dancing.

 _Yeah, a girl, she's a creature_

 _She's always been so strange_

The girls were swooning.

 _Just when you find you're sure_

He bent down to one woman.

 _That's when she'll get and never change_

He gave a light tickle under her chin, making her squeal, with her and her friends jumping with glee.

 _Is you is or is you ain't my baby?_

He was unaware that a new girl was watching.

 _Maybe, my baby, she's found somebody new_

Ember was completely spellbound as she twisted and swayed in his dark blue lounge singer suit, with a pin that has a dark blue diamond with white diamonds around it.

 _Or is my baby still my baby true?_

As he finished and slowly walked away, the girls went wild as they applauded. Ember maybe silent, but she quickly took her drink to calm her down. Suddenly, he stopped at the end of the curtain. He turned, looking straight at her with a flirty smile, and gave her a wink. He saw her the whole time. She stopped drinking and took one huge gulp, her face strawberry red as the band ended their song.

"Once-ler, prince of Thneedville," a woman's voice blared in the intercom as he walked into the curtains. "Ladies and gentlemen, ain't he somethin'!" The intercom made a loud feedback, but through it, the woman said, "I'd fuck him if he was my own brother."

* * *

Inside the Thneedville Palace, Ember and Once-ler were now in his bedroom. His room had striped green wallpaper with candles lit on his drawers and held on the walls. His round bed was surrounded with a dark blue, see-through bed curtains. Inside, there was an ashtray with marijuana lit up on his nightstand. They were both in bed under the sheets, naked, and were already having sex. She was on top of him and they were both sweating and moaning passionately. The bed was rocking back and forward, as they were getting louder and louder, that they had to embrace each other tightly until they both gasped and yelled as they reached the climax.

They were still embracing each other as they were catching their breaths. They were now French kissing, even when he decided to speak through them. "I don't- I don't even know your name."

They stopped when she finally answered. "Ember."

They both basked in each other until she lay down on the other side. He took two lit joints, handing one to her. He took a hit and started at the ceiling in thought. "I had a sister called Ember."

She took a hit but coughed a bit at the strong brand. "I get that a lot," she said casually. "Uh, she's dead?"

He turned to his side at her. "We sent her away, to work with a business man."

They both put their joints in the ashtray to embrace themselves to do it again.

* * *

Six years went by. Fanfares blared outside of the palace. Stepping out were Once-ler and Ember. Once-ler was wearing a striped green two-tail suit with a tie with black and green stripes, a truffula tree brooch pin, long green gloves, and a top hat with a green strap around it. Ember was wearing a white dress with golden laces around the sleeves, and top and bottom of the dress, and wrap around the dress was a dark purple sleeveless cape. Both were wearing wedding rings. Once-ler's was golden, and Ember's was golden with diamonds on it. Wearing a red shirt and blue pants was a five-year-old boy named Matthew. He had Once-ler's hair and Ember's eyes and nose. That's right: Once-ler and Ember were the new king and queen of Thneedville, and their son was the prince.

"Mommy, daddy!" he called happily.

Once-le looked at him with pure joy in his smile. "Oh, Matthew."

"Go ahead, Matthew," Ember smiled as he ran off, giggling.

Everyone was gathered outside the building. "Senator, citizens," called out Ember with pride. "I bid you good morning."

"Coming though! Make way! Coming through!" Calling from the crowd and walking through it was an old, gray-haired, blind woman carrying a walking cane, wearing a beige bed gown with black cloak over it.

The couple smiled, and their son giggled and ran again as she was a well-known lady who can predict the future. "What? Hark." said the queen. "'Tis the blind prophetess, Claudia. Does thou bring fair tidings?"

She did not look happy at them and didn't come for fair tidings. "Oh, Ember!" she yelled with condemnation. "Vile creature!" Dark clouds came in and thundered with her anger. "Sister slayer and brother f-" She stopped with disgust. "Oh, the word is too vile to speak!"

Whispers of shock could be heard from the crowd, for she never got a prediction wrong. The coworkers wanted answers immediately.

"Is this true, my liege?" said a secretary.

"Didst thou kill thy sister and bed thy brother?" asked one assistant.

"Is this true, my liege?" asked a staff assistant.

Hearing the prophetess and the questions from his employees, Once-ler felt beyond disgusted and angry at himself of doing such vile things to his own flesh and blood. On the verge of tears, he ran upstairs inside. "No...Oh, God, no...No! No! No! No! No!"

Ember couldn't even speak nor move! The discovery of the truth was a lot to process! Soon her past became all too clear!

* * *

 _In the Thneedville hospital long ago, princess Ember was born. Her parents look exactly like her and Once-ler._

 _"Hello, baby," her mom, the queen, cooed at the baby girl._

 _Young Isabella II and Once-ler stared at silent wonder as their dad, the king, introduced them to her. "You have a baby sister."_

* * *

She was beyond disgusted and angry at herself, too! How could she have been so blind?! How could she not have put two and two together?! "Gods of Thneedville!" she shouted in the sky. "Why scorn thou liege?!"

"God, no!" Her husband and brother standing on the roof of the palace! "Oh, forgive me!" He was an emotion wreck with tears of guilt and shame running down his eyes! "Forgive me."

Matthew saw the commotion but noticed someone of the roof. Was that-? "Daddy?" It was! "Daddy!"

The child's cry got everyone's attention, but it was too late! They all could only watch in horror! With a blood-curdling scream, he jumped off the roof and landed on the stairs with a sickening, bone-crunching thud, dead! They all screamed at the sight, especially Ember! She ran to his lifeless body! Seeing his brooch, she grabbed it, and with no hesitation or second thought, she stabbed her eyes out with them! Over and over and over again with such horrific screams until blood oozed down from her sockets!

Everyone was in screaming fright! Matthew was screaming and crying! This was something a five-year-old should never see! He was about to rush to her, but two labor workers grabbed the hysterical boy and got inside with the doors thudding closed. Claudia, however, was the only one who wasn't traumatized. In fact, she hummed casually as she walked away, as if this is an ordinary day.

* * *

Inside the living room, Ember could only gaze out the window as the sirens of a police car and ambulance rang out with their red and blue lights flashing in the night. Yes, she couldn't see anymore, but it didn't matter to her. She believed she was blind before, but now she will be blind forever. She believed she doesn't deserve to see at all anymore, and she couldn't bear to see the scandalous, vile curse she placed upon her family.

Soon the door opened, and there was Matthew, standing there. "Mommy?" he asked sadly and quietly. He gasped! Where her eyes use to be were now gaping holes with blood, dried up where it spilled.

"Do not look upon me with thine eyes," the shell of the former queen said with heavy grief, guilt and shame. "I could not bear thy pain." She soon walked at one corner of the room. "Farewell, Matthew." She made a stop. "Beloved son." She turned. "Cursed nephew." Thunder and lightning flashed at those words.

* * *

Outside, a bodyguard led two policemen and the former queen in handcuffs at the open gate as the paramedics dragged Once-ler's body on the stretcher in the van. Before the prophetess came to the building, the police were informed by the prophetess of her vision and the found the body of her older sister in the creek.

Who knows what her sentence will be, life in prison or death? She preferred the death sentence. Why should they keep a such a disgusting wretch like her alive? She'll be forever remembered as the woman who shed the blood of her own sister and laid in bed and had a child with her own brother. All she could do was hope that her son/nephew wouldn't face such ridicule and the people wouldn't make him a scapegoat for her crimes. She would never do that. It was all her fault and no one else's. She took one last glance at the palace when the gates closed. She stepped into the car then the police got in it, too. Both the police car and ambulance drove off into the night.

* * *

 _ **Oedipus: Sophocles**_

 _ **Oedipus (with vegetables): watch?v=8OkMqp_a188**_

 _ **Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby: Louis Jordan & Billy Austin (Ingrid Lucia version)**_

 _ **The Lorax: Dr. Seuss, Universal Studios/Illumination Studios**_


End file.
